California Vehicle Code (CVC) 21205 requires all cyclists to avoid carrying anything that would prevent them from keeping at least one hand on the bike.
Remaining In Control of a Bicycle
The law to force cyclists to avoid carrying items and losing control of their bikes is intended to keep cyclists and those around them safe from collisions and crashes.
One hand should be kept on the handlebars at all times. Two hands are a better idea of course. Having only one hand on the handlebars makes it easier for a bump to knock a rider off balance and heading in a dangerous direction.
This is the wording of the actual California law regarding cyclists carrying packages and taking their hands off the wheel:
“No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package, bundle or article which prevents the operator from keeping at least one hand upon the handlebars.”
Liability in California Bicycle Accidents
It’s important to reassure bicycle accident victims that they can still seek accident support after being hit, even if they are cited for a traffic violation.
Drivers can still be held accountable for a collision involving a defenseless cyclist, even when investigators put partial blame on the rider. Drivers must show cyclists an extra “duty of care” due to the extreme vulnerability of riders when compared to the much more protected occupants of cars. Motorists must constantly monitor for bicyclists and slow down when they see them. They must be prepared to stop. It’s why drivers can be liable for accidents even if a victim was being reckless on a bike.
Cyclists may have been unsafely carrying a package or bundle when they were struck. They may have been proceeding the wrong way down a street when they got hit. These factors don’t erase a careless driver’s responsibility in many cases.
Victims on bicycles could still file injury claims and seek help full or partial help with their medical bills and their lost time at work. California follows the legal concept of “comparative liability.” It means that drivers and cyclists can share the blame in an accident. Both parties might be assigned a percentage of the fault. An injured rider could still be awarded injury support, but the rider’s assigned percentage would be subtracted.
Injured bicyclists could receive substantial compensation for being hit. A California bicycle accident lawyer would fight to keep the cyclists’ percentage of blame as low as possible and the victim’s take-home support as high as possible.
Contact a California Bicycle Accident Lawyer
After a bicycle accident involving a serious injury, you should talk over your case and your options with a California Bicycle Accident Lawyer at Maison Law. If your crash was caused in part or in whole by a reckless driver, you should never face your recovery costs alone.
Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our skilled attorneys. It’s a chance to determine how much an at-fault driver should be providing to you. And if you need our help to earn more for your claim, you won’t need any upfront money. Maison Law doesn’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement a car insurance company must provide.
